Jordan Robertson
Jordan is a technology writer with Bloomberg News. He previously worked at The Associated Press.
Photograph by Getty Images
Hackers like to target Java, the ubiquitous software that’s installed on billions of computers and mobile phones worldwide.
Hackers’ Exploits of Java Renews Debate About Pace of Security Fixes
Oracle issued an emergency fix today for vulnerabilities in its Java software about four months after Security Explorations, a security firm, warned the company about the bugs. The delay in providing a fix allowed more than 100,000 computers to get...
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Photograph by Steve Hockstein/Bloomberg
Vulnerabilities in automobiles' computer systems are drawing attention from hackers.
Students Get an Education on How to Break Into Latest Automobiles
Inside a Maryland warehouse last week, Tiffany Rad was teaching a few dozen young people how to break into cars. It was nothing sinister — Rad is a security professional with a cool job: She hacks into cars full-time for...
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Photograph by Steve Wisbauer
The incident showcases an unsettling new strain of opportunism that's emerging as criminals try to exploit digital records.
Hackers Steal, Encrypt Health Records and Hold Data for Ransom
As more patient records go digital, a recent hacker attack on a small medical practice shows the big risks involved with electronic files. The Surgeons of Lake County, located in the affluent northern Illinois suburb of Libertyville, revealed last month...
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Researchers say automated policing technologies, such as red-light cameras, are flawed.
Computers Aren’t Perfect Drivers or Policemen
Troubled by computers’ increasing role in controlling cars and policing traffic, Lisa Shay decided to do some research using (what else) a computer. In an experiment last month, Shay, a U.S. Army colonel, tracked the precision of her car’s cruise...
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Photographer by Jacob Kepler/Bloomberg
Attendees arrive during the Black Hat conference at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
Apple’s Black Hat Talk Draws Crowd, But Breaks Little Ground
(This post was updated to clarify Microsoft’s involvement with Black Hat in the last graph.) A few minutes into Apple’s much-anticipated presentation at the Black Hat hacking conference in Las Vegas, it became clear that the secretive company intended on...
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Photograph by Toby Talbot/AP Photo
The radio frequency of a newly-installed smart meter is checked in Burlington, Vermont.
Smart-Meter Hacker to Give Talk He Shelved Under Industry Pressure
Few things are as scandalous at computer-hacker conferences as the presentations that don’t happen. Hackers face constant legal threats for their discoveries. So when someone plans to disclose an important security hole, but is forced to cancel the talk because...
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Photograph by Jae C. Hong/AP Photo
Attendees are seen through a Black Hat logo during the Black Hat and Defcon hacker conferences in Las Vegas.
Apple Warms Up to Hackers, Plans Presentation at Black Hat
(This post was updated with Apple declining to comment.) In the 15 years that computer hackers have gathered in Las Vegas for the Black Hat conference, an event where unknowns can become stars and tech heavyweights are skewered for security...
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Photograph by Photomorgana
The allure of hacking back is growing as digital espionage and trade-secret theft have become rampant.
Is Hacking in Self-Defense Legal? It Depends, Says Army Cyber Lawyer
When Robert Clark meets with large corporations and government agencies that have been hacked, many express the same feeling. They want revenge. But the impulse to strike back is fraught with legal danger, said Clark, operational attorney for the U.S....
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Photograph by Pete McBride/National Geographic Stock
The Department of Homeland Security said water plants were attacked 81 times in 2011, compared with only two incidents in 2010.
What’s In Your Water Now? Hackers
Hackers are known for attacking the computers of banks and government agencies. Now they have a new favorite target: the U.S. water system. In an unsettling new report on cyber attacks against the nation’s critical infrastructure, the Department of Homeland...
Read more »Amid Privacy Backlash, Cisco Says It’s Not Logging Your Web History
Imagine if Microsoft pushed an update to your computer that started recording everything you write in Word and shipped it back to Redmond. Or if the phone on your desk was upgraded to send details of your calls not only...
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